Changed coil pack, wires and plugs, then really bad misfiring

[AbuNigel]

I had a cracked coil pack which was causing misfires occasionally so I got a new one from pepboys along with new spark plugs and wires.

I swapped the coilpack and fired it up and it was running like crap.

It was just a simple switcheroo of the old and new coilpack, Idk why it is worse than before it doesn't make sense.

Then, I went and put in the new wires and plugs and it isn't any better. I tried driving for a minute or so and got a flashing CEL so i cut it off and now have no idea what to do.

Although I was in a covered garage its very humid today and raining, and the behavior of the car is quite similar to how it would act when it was humid and moisture got in the coilpack due to its cracks.

Is it possible the components just picked up some significant moisture in the installation process and maybe if i go back tomorrow stuff will have dried up and it will run ok?

Or is there something terribly wrong here...?

[VDubYah]

Check the wires and connection to the coils. They can crack and cause connection problems. The connector are availble as a repair part

[AbuNigel]

The coilpack wires And plugs are all brand new why would anything be cracked though?

[2004NBTURBOS]

Swap in the old coil pac and see if the problem is still there.
Could be a bad coil pac. Even though "new", it still is a aftermarket PepBoys part. Who knows where they scrounged it up.

[VDubYah]

Sorry I missed the new wires thing. What brand plugs. Some people have problems with the copper ones. Did all the vaccuum conections get put back on when you had to get to the coils?

Just trying to work through the problem. Search for misfire here and you should get some threads of others with the same issues, could be some answers there.

Also what gap on the plugs

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by AbuNigel

The coilpack wires And plugs are all brand new why would anything be cracked though?

Plug GaP!! There was a similar post not too long ago that just installed new plugs and didn't check the gap before installing them. The gaps were all over the place from .040 all the way up to .065 and the correct gap for the 1.8 engine was .032 After he gapped the plugs all his problems were gone and he lived happily ever after.

What type of plugs did you put in? If they are Iridium plugs be very very very very careful gapping them. Those center electrodes break if you breath on them hard. I installed some NGK Iridium plugs in mine. I checked the gap and left it at .028 which works well with my REVO stage 1 tune.

Good Luck!

[AbuNigel]

I'm g Bosch platinum plugs, something like that. Can you explain what gapping them is??

Also everything went to **** when all I had swapped was the coilpack so I don't Think the main problem. Is something with the new spark plugs necessarily.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by AbuNigel

I'm g Bosch platinum plugs, something like that. Can you explain what gapping them is??

Also everything went to **** when all I had swapped was the coilpack so I don't Think the main problem. Is something with the new spark plugs necessarily.

Proper Spark Plug Gap is VERY IMPORTANT. Every vehicle is different and the spark plugs you buy are not just for your specific vehicle to the gap is set to a very generic point.
If you don't set the gap as recommended in your owners manual it will be either to narrow or most likely too wide in which case the spark can not close the gap between the conductor and the electrode and the combustion process is interrupted or incomplete. The results are just like having a bad coil and at best your are wasting gas and at worst you can damage your engine. The proper gap on a 1.8T engine is .032 and I believe on the 2.0 engines it is around .035
Did you change your coil and spark plugs at the same time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk70oyUEftY

[VDubYah]

Gapping is setting the distance between the electrode tip of the sparkplug and the side terminal so the coil generates a spark across the gap which ingnites the fuel mixture in the cylinder.

If it is too narrow or to wide the fuel mixture in the cylinder can either not burn or burn to soon (both bad for either milage or engine)

There are spark plug gapping gauges( feeler gauges) to read what the gap is.

As Indytom said the proper gap is .032 . That is most likley your problem following your thread.

[AbuNigel]

I swapped the old coilpack back in and it runs with no flashing cel and fairly smoothly, still feels like there's a misfire when I give it a rev, but i'm gonna let it warm up a bit more before I make further judgements on that.

[Opelmania]

I would bank that it is a bad coil pack. You could have a gap issue as well, but as you stated, it was running fairly well before the coil transfer. I got my coil pack from here. http://www.germanautoparts.com/ Great prices and quality stuff. Hope you get your misfire worked out.

[AbuNigel]

I go to pepboys and they are refusing to take the new coilpack back because it's been used.

They said that mechanics would have done diagnostics before switching out the coilpack.

The car runs with the old but cracked coilpack.
I put in a new one, it runs like sh*t
I put in new spark plugs and wires, still runs like sh*t
I put the old coilpack back in and it runs fine...

Is that not diagnostics in itself!?

$130 down the drain.

[Toad]

Originally Posted by AbuNigel

I go to pepboys and they are refusing to take the new coilpack back because it's been used.

They said that mechanics would have done diagnostics before switching out the coilpack.

The car runs with the old but cracked coilpack.
I put in a new one, it runs like sh*t
I put in new spark plugs and wires, still runs like sh*t
I put the old coilpack back in and it runs fine...

Is that not diagnostics in itself!?

$130 down the drain.

Get a big scary friend to go back with you. It's got at least a 30-day return/replacement defective parts garuntee. There's no way they wouldn't swap you another one even if you're not a mechanic.

If that was the case, these stores wouldn't sell parts to normal people.

I'd still replace your old coilpack if it's cracked. Aftermarket ones are more prone to be defective, but you shouldn't get 2 bad ones in a row.

[D2Beetle]

Did your new coil pack come with new coil control module or are you still using the old one?

[AbuNigel]

Originally Posted by D2Beetle

Did your new coil pack come with new coil control module or are you still using the old one?

not sure what that is can you elaborate?

[AbuNigel]

Originally Posted by Toad

Get a big scary friend to go back with you. It's got at least a 30-day return/replacement defective parts garuntee. There's no way they wouldn't swap you another one even if you're not a mechanic.

If that was the case, these stores wouldn't sell parts to normal people.

I'd still replace your old coilpack if it's cracked. Aftermarket ones are more prone to be defective, but you shouldn't get 2 bad ones in a row.

they said they would swap me a new one but they are out of stock.. =\

[Toad]

Originally Posted by AbuNigel

they said they would swap me a new one but they are out of stock.. =\

Well, that's better than being stuck with a defective one. It's pretty common not to get a refund if you used the part. At best, they might give you store credit.

I'd wait for them to get another one in stock... they should have ordered another one for you when you went in with the defective one.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by AbuNigel

I go to pepboys and they are refusing to take the new coilpack back because it's been used.

They said that mechanics would have done diagnostics before switching out the coilpack.

The car runs with the old but cracked coilpack.
I put in a new one, it runs like sh*t
I put in new spark plugs and wires, still runs like sh*t
I put the old coilpack back in and it runs fine...

Is that not diagnostics in itself!?

$130 down the drain.

That's Bull$hit! I would demand to speak to a manager and if that doesn't work I would contact their corporate headquarters until you get some results. They sold you a defective part and they should replace it. It's no money out of their pocket. They will just return the faulty unit to the Chinese Manufacturer and get credit for it. Your Pep Boys has some very bad customer service.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by AbuNigel

they said they would swap me a new one but they are out of stock.. =\

Isn't there more than one PEP Boys around? I would have them give you store credit so you can pick up a new coil from any PEP Boys. I guess there is a reason I never liked them.

[2004NBTURBOS]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

I would have them give you store credit so you can pick up a new coil from any PEP Boys. I guess there is a reason I never liked them.

yeah they screwed me more then once. They gave me the wrong clutch plate when I was working on my old mustang. Had it all bolted back together, only to find the clutch would not disengage the trans. Had to get an OEM ford clutch. Had to redo the whole thing. Not a fan of PepBoys. Oil and wiper blades maybe. Thats about it.